New season and new anticipations abound. Once more, we are happy to provide the best draft content and how it relates to Kings hockey.
As of this writing, Rob Blake has one pick in each round for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Obstacles come and go, making preparation a major challenge. Most recently, the 2022 World Junior Championship, the premiere stage for international competition, has been cancelled. Even if it changes to a postponement, the anticipated July date would be after the draft. Multiple games at the junior level were also getting postponed, yet they have since resumed.
With these disclaimers out of the way, let’s take a look at a prospect getting a lot of fanfare prior to the season starting.
Shane Wright
Vitals
Date of Birth: January 5, 2004
Height: 6’1
Weight: 187 lbs
Shoots: Right
Position: Forward
2021-22 Season
Wright spent his entire season so far playing for the Kingston Frontenacs in the Ontario Hockey League. He has 35 points (13 G, 22 A) in 28 games.
The Wright Teammates
Los Angeles has a few ins already with the native of Burlington, Ontario. Most recently, Kings prospect Martin Chromiak has been playing alongside Wright in Kingston. Of Wright’s 35 points, Chromiak has been involved in 22 of them.
Wright has additional experience playing with 2021 picks Brandt Clarke and Francesco Pinelli representing team Canada. With Clarke, in particular, they have been teammates for several years, including both assisting on the cup-winning overtime goal in AAA hockey (incidentally, they were playing against Pinelli and the Toronto Red Wings).
Clean Slated
As one of the top prospects of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Wright made Team Canada’s roster for the 2022 WJC. He picked up an assist in two appearances. He faced some criticism from stat watchers for not putting up more points.
However, with WJC getting canceled, it was announced the tournament would be re-started. Wright will have a chance to redeem himself and display his offensive talent.
Exceptional Benefit
Hockey Canada has had a run of several players getting exceptional status, which allows said players to participate in their respective league a year before they are typically eligible. Wright received this recognition, and thus started his junior hockey career at the age of 15.
Given the OHL’s cancellation last year, Wright has a larger sample size compared to his OHL peers for teams to reference.
Rankings by Independent Scouting Services
Ranked first by The Draft Analyst. “Wright’s understanding of the game is higher that most prospects, and one could make the argument he’s the smartest of all draft-eligible forwards. One of the many areas where he reveals his high IQ is positioning or anticipation in the neutral zone, as Wright’s interceptions are driven mostly by reading an opponent’s intentions. His ability to sense backside pressure makes his weaving and slicing even more dangerous since he can force opponents to overload a side when chasing him. Most important is Wright’s ability to position himself away from the puck in preparation for a clean look at the net — he has acute intuitive insight into where the puck will end up, and that includes loose puck battles with control up for grabs.”
Ranked first by The Hockey News. “The undisputed gem of the draft, Wright is a powerful pivot with character who can dominate at both ends of the ice.’”
Ranked first by Future Considerations. “Wright only partially showed the talent he is capable of in this one. He did very well in the faceoff circle where he was often able to win it back and at times, try to create an offensive zone rush. He showed good passing abilities and is often quick to the puck.”
See For Yourself
Here is a collection of shifts when Wright played against the Ottawa 67’s.
Final Comments
Los Angeles is currently not in a rebuilding mode – they are moving forward into the next phase. Consequently, discussing a potential first overall pick seems incongruent with the team’s direction. That said, New York won the 2020 NHL Entry Draft’s first overall pick and competed in the playoffs under exceptional circumstances.
In addition to the above, the biggest question arises: Is another center prospect really beneficial with the Kings’ center depth?
It’s important to note that centers transition to wing easier than most other positional changes. Worst case scenario, Wright could try to transition to wing. His chemistry with other multiple prospects could help solidify team identity to complement his two-way ability.
His lack of production in the canceled WJC is a valid concern. Potential top picks, particularly in big roles, should produce. It may hurt his draft stock, though he has the rest of this season in the OHL as well as the U-18s to show this first half was an anomaly.
Should Rob Blake have an opportunity to pick Wright, he would be remiss to pass on him. At his worst, he is a low-maintenance player with enough talent to put up points.
NOTE: David Hofreiter was the lead contributor in the gathering of information used in this article. You can find him on Twitter @Davidenkness to talk more hockey.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-522840723937225840-1’); });
RELATED CONTENT:
Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or interviews from this site please remember to include a link to www.MayorsManor.com
